| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 38 | 48 | 58 | 69 |
| Internal assessment | 24 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 |
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | 40 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 25 |
| Paper 2 | 90 | 30 | 40 | 51 | 61 |
| Paper 3 | 45 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 31 |
| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 40 | 49 | 58 | 69 |
| Internal assessment | 24 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 |
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | 30 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Paper 2 | 46 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 30 |
| Paper 3 | 35 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 27 |
Paper 1
About 90% of schools found the difficulty appropriate. Blanks rose towards the end, especially at SL, and several items exposed misconceptions about forces, interference with phase-shifted sources and fundamental units.
Found difficult
- kinematics
- interference
- SI base units
- fundamental forces
- energy sources
- albedo
- electromagnetic induction
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SL4 / HL4 | object thrown up then falling (quadratic in time) | Most struggled | divided two given values; ignored sign of initial velocityTip: Fix positive direction and include non-zero initial velocity in the equation. |
| SL6 / HL5 | elastic potential energy in terms of force | Mixed | expected displacement squared explicitlyTip: Substitute F = kx into options to compare forms. |
| SL12 / HL9 | cause of temperature rise in compressed gas | Most struggled | chose a true statement that was not the cause |
| SL15 / HL11 | interference from sources out of phase | Most struggled | ignored source phase differenceTip: Add any phase difference between sources to the path difference effect. |
| SL24 / HL19 | beta-plus versus beta-minus decay | Mixed | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Proton-rich nuclides emit positrons; neutron-rich ones emit electrons. |
| SL25 / HL20 | lowest frequency absorbed | Mixed | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Lowest frequency means the smallest energy gap. |
| SL28 / HL23 | validating research by independent review | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| SL29 / HL24 | primary fuels | Most struggled | did not class coal as primary |
| SL30 / HL25 | albedo from absorbed intensity | Most struggled | used absorbed intensity as incidentTip: Incident intensity equals absorbed plus reflected. |
| HL 13 | reflection of a pulse at a free end | Mixed | thought the reflected pulse inverts |
| HL 15 | unit of resistivity in base SI units | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Build base units from a known equation such as P = I squared R. |
| HL 26 | velocity of an oscillating iceberg | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 27 | width of central diffraction maximum | Mixed | compared half-width with full width |
| HL 29 | diffraction images and wavelength | Most struggled | guessing |
| HL 32 | potential energy from gravitational potential | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 34 | direction of induced current from flux changes | Mixed | Nothing specific reported.Tip: Use Lenz's law separately for decreasing and increasing flux. |
| HL 38 | diffraction pattern change | Mixed | guessing |
| SL 5 | speed at bottom of a slope | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| SL 7 | power from change in kinetic energy | Mixed | omitted the factor one half; used P = Fv with a non-constant speed |
| SL 13 | velocity sign in SHM | Most struggled | assumed velocity has the sign of displacement |
| SL 18 | force on a negative charge | Most struggled | force drawn along the fieldTip: A negative charge feels force opposite to the field. |
| SL 19 | calculation with area units | Most struggled | mm squared to m squared conversion errorTip: Square the conversion factor when converting areas. |
| SL 26 | range of fundamental forces | Most struggled | guessingTip: The weak interaction has the shortest range. |
What to practise
- Use MCQs in class to reveal misconceptions.
- Practise powers of ten and estimation without a calculator.
- Use elimination, units, sketches and extreme cases.
- For cause-type questions select the statement that explains the change.
- Know when data booklet equations apply, e.g. in-phase sources.
Paper 2
Most schools judged it fair; working was clear and power-of-ten slips fewer than usual. Some HL students lost time copying the stem; conceptual parts on circular motion, momentum, binding energy and diffraction were weaker.
Found difficult
- single-slit diffraction
- resolution
- gravitational potential energy
- I-V characteristics
- alternating current
- photoelectric effect
- circular motion
- momentum and impulse
- binding energy
Well prepared
- motion graphs
- conservation of energy
- momentum and impulse
- radioactive decay
- wave properties
- standing waves
- gas laws
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| HL 1a | velocity-time graph | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 1b | distance from area under graph | Mixed | forced one kinematics equation over the whole motionTip: Use the area under a velocity-time graph for distance. |
| 2ai / SL 1ai | speed from energy conservation | Mixed | no extra significant figure in show-that; wrong height difference |
| 2aii / SL 1aii | normal force in a vertical loop | Most struggled | normal force assumed upwards; ignored weight; set normal force equal to weightTip: Sketch a free-body diagram for each position in circular motion. |
| 2aiii / SL 1aiii | staying in contact with the loop | Most struggled | vague statements |
| 2bi / SL 1bi | collision speed | Mixed | omitted a mass in momentum equation |
| 2bii / SL 1bii | rate of change of momentum as force | Mixed | gave change in momentum instead of force (SL) |
| 2biii / SL 1biii | collision calculation | Answered well | wrong substitution |
| 3a / SL 2a | Newton's third law | Mixed | did not say which body exerts force on whichTip: State the two bodies and the equal, opposite forces between them. |
| 3b / SL 2b | gas calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 3c / SL 2c | two gas containers | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 4ai / SL 3ai | transverse wave | Answered well | said propagation is perpendicular to energy transfer |
| 4aii / SL 3aii | acceleration of particles on a wave | Mixed | only one of two parts stated |
| 4aiii / SL 3aiii | wave calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 4aiv / SL 3aiv | particle speed versus wave speed | Most struggled | returned the wave speedTip: Particle speed in a wave differs from the wave speed. |
| 4b / SL 3b | wave diagram | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 4c / SL 3c | wave situation | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 5a / SL 4a | comparing resistances | Mixed | claimed current passes through X first |
| 5b / SL 4b | circuit reasoning | Mixed | used resistor position relative to cell |
| HL 5ci | resistance from an I-V curve | Most struggled | took inverse gradient as resistanceTip: Resistance is V/I at the point, not the gradient. |
| HL 5cii | resistance calculation | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported. |
| SL 4ci, 4cii | discounted (translation error) | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 6ai / SL 5ai | nuclear terminology | Mixed | imprecise terminology |
| 6bi / SL 5bi | binding energy | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 6bii / SL 5bii | binding energy per nucleon comparison | Most struggled | no justification; thought more nucleons share less energy |
| 6biii / SL 5biii | nuclear calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 6ci | decay graph reading | Mixed | misread the axis scale |
| HL 6cii | fraction of activity remaining | Mixed | gave the activity not the fraction |
| 7a / SL 6a | energy transfers in a wind turbine | Mixed | left out thermal energy |
| 7b / SL 6b | wind power assumptions | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 7c / SL 6c | wind power with two speeds | Most struggled | cubed the difference of speedsTip: Cube each speed before subtracting. |
| HL 8ai | single-slit effects | Answered well | many left question 8 blank |
| HL 8aii | diffraction angle | Mixed | wrong angle chosen |
| HL 8aiii | grating pattern explanation | Mixed | omitted diffraction at each slit |
| HL 8aiv | intensity with more slits | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 8b | resolvance | Most struggled | could not interpret the computed RTip: Compare required and available resolvance to decide if lines are resolved. |
| HL 9a | sign of gravitational potential | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 9bi | escape and orbits | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 9bii | maximum height from energy | Most struggled | ignored potential energy at the surfaceTip: Include potential at both radii and give height above surface. |
| HL 10a | role of a transformer core | Mixed | thought the core conducts current |
| HL 10b | transformer | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 10ci | a.c. reading | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 10cii | frequency from period | Mixed | missed milliseconds |
| HL 10di | primary and secondary values | Mixed | swapped primary and secondary |
| HL 10dii | transformer calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| HL 11a | failure of wave model for photoemission | Most struggled | restated stem or gave particle model |
| HL 11bi | photoelectric energy | Mixed | mixed J and eVTip: Use hc in eV nm from the data booklet to keep units consistent. |
| HL 11bii | electron speed | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
What to practise
- Show working for error carried forward.
- Know data booklet symbols.
- Give decimal answers.
- Sketch free-body diagrams for circular motion.
Paper 3
Last Paper 3 on the 2016 guide; time was ample and options balanced. Graph work was strong, but uncertainties, cyclic processes, telescopes, attenuation and careful reading were weak.
Found difficult
- significant figures
- uncertainty propagation
- measuring g
- thermodynamic cycles
- heat engine efficiency
- spacetime diagrams
- relativistic energy and momentum
- resonance
- optical instruments
- X-ray attenuation
- cosmological principle
- careful reading of the question
Well prepared
- best-fit lines
- gradients
- time dilation
- rotational dynamics
- fluid dynamics
- lenses and ray diagrams
- Cepheid variables
- stellar characteristics
- mass-luminosity relation
- stellar evolution
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1ai | best-fit line | Answered well | joined dots |
| 1aii | gradient | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 1aiii | constant from intercept and gradient | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 2a | g from a multi-flash photo | Mixed | used consecutive points; forgot to subtract start positionTip: Use the longest interval to reduce relative uncertainty. |
| 2b | uncertainty in g | Mixed | ignored distance uncertainty; gave percentage only |
| 2c | flash duration and blur | Most struggled | misread the question |
| 3 | Galilean and relativistic velocity addition | Mixed | speeds above c |
| 4 | clock synchronisation and spacetime diagram | Mixed | poor synchronisation explanation; proper time misidentified |
| 5 | muon time dilation | Mixed | used gamma the wrong way |
| 6 (HL) | relativistic kinetic energy from a graph | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 7 (HL) | light path in different frames | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 8 | rotational mechanics | Answered well | stated variable without the direction of change |
| 9a | gas processes | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 9b | gas calculation | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 9c | first law and efficiency | Mixed | efficiency given as 100% |
| 9d | theoretical efficiency | Most struggled | missed meaning of theoretical |
| 10 | fluids and Bernoulli | Mixed | overcomplicated Bernoulli; no reference to pressure |
| 11 | resonance | Most struggled | generic answer without calculationTip: Explain questions with a given value need a supporting calculation. |
| 12 | lenses | Answered well | drew converging instead of diverging |
| 13 | reflecting telescope mountings and rays | Most struggled | sign errors in the final calculation |
| 14 | imaging topic | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 15a | linear versus mass attenuation coefficient | Most struggled | Nothing specific reported. |
| 15b | attenuation calculation | Mixed | logarithm errors |
| 16 | imaging topic | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 17 | Cepheids and star clusters | Mixed | open and globular clusters confused |
| 18 | stellar radii, masses and Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit | Answered well | Nothing specific reported. |
| 19 | stellar calculations and assumptions | Mixed | unit conversions; unrealistic numbers |
| 20 | astrophysics item | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 21 | cosmological principle and observations | Most struggled | quoted principle without applying it |
What to practise
- Train students to read stems in detail and find the context.
- Use Section A style questions to prepare for Paper 1B.
Internal assessment
What moderators raised about the scientific investigation this session, criterion by criterion.
- Personal engagement. interest claimed artificially; all three descriptors needed for full marks
- Exploration. background copied from textbooks instead of giving only the relevant equation
- Exploration. key concepts like range versus path or efficiency misunderstood in methodology
- Analysis. max/min gradient lines drawn from first and last points only, ignoring the rest
- Analysis. correlation coefficient misused when data have uncertainties; unjustified linear or polynomial fits
- Evaluation. linear with negative gradient wrongly called inversely proportional; superficial discussion of method
- Communication. loose terminology (speed/velocity, linear/proportional) and padded reference lists of unused sources
About this summary
After every session the IB sends schools a subject report: how candidates did on each paper and question, and what teachers should work on. This page is my reading of the Physics report for November 2024, in my own words. No text from the report or from the exam questions is reproduced, and it is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.
This session was one of the last on the 2014 Physics syllabus (Papers 1, 2 and 3 with options); from May 2025 the papers are 1A, 1B and 2. Session codes: TZ is the time zone variant of the papers. Corrections: pietro@pietromeloni.com.
Frequently asked questions
Which questions were hardest in Physics November 2024?
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The questions most candidates struggled with were on object thrown up then falling (quadratic in time), cause of temperature rise in compressed gas, interference from sources out of phase and primary fuels. The tables above list every question discussed in the report, paper by paper.
What did candidates find difficult in November 2024?
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Across the papers the examiners listed kinematics, interference, SI base units, fundamental forces, energy sources, albedo, electromagnetic induction and single-slit diffraction, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Physics November 2024?
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Physics HL: a 7 from 69 out of 100 overall in November 2024. Physics SL: a 7 from 69 out of 100 overall in November 2024. The component boundaries are in the table on this page.
Is this the official IB subject report?
+
No. It is my summary of the report the IB issues to schools after each session, rewritten in my own words with a teacher's reading of it. No text from the report or from exam questions is reproduced. Your school's IB coordinator can access the original.
Related
IB examiner reports: every session, Maths and Physics IB Physics May 2024 TZ1: the previous report IB Physics May 2025 TZ1: the next report IB Physics HL grade boundaries, every session IB Physics SL grade boundaries, every session IB Physics revision notes IB Maths and Physics topic tests, with markschemes